Antiplasmodial activity of desloratadine-dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine on Plasmodium berghei infected mice
Georgewill Udeme Owunari, Ebong Nwakaego Omonigho, Elias Bestman Adikwu · Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology · 2021
This study examined the antiplasmodial effect of desloratadine-dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DL/D/P) on Plasmodium berghei infected mice.Adult mice (22-25 g) were grouped, inoculated with P. berghei, and treated orally with DL (5 mg/kg), D/P (1.71/13.7 mg/kg), and DL/D/P daily for 4 days.The negative and positive controls were treated orally with normal saline (0.2 mL) and chloroquine (10 mg/kg), respectively, for 4 days.After treatment, blood samples were assessed for percentage parasitemia and serum biochemical parameters.Mice were also observed for mean survival time (MST).In the curative, suppressive, and prophylactic studies, DL, D/P, and DL/D/P significantly decreased percentage parasitemia levels at P < 0.01, P < 0.001, and P < 0.0001, respectively, when compared to negative control (NC).DL, D/P, and DL/D/P significantly increased MST at P < 0.05, P < 0.01, and P < 0.001, respectively, when compared to NC. Significant (P < 0.001) decreases in packed cell volume, red blood cells, hemoglobin, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels with significant (P < 0.001) increases in total cholesterol, white blood cells, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were observed in NC when compared to normal control.However, the aforementioned parameters were restored by DL (P < 0.05), D/P (P < 0.01), and DL/D/P (P < 0.001) when compared to NC. DL/D/P may be an effective antimalarial drug combination.